"This is classic self-defense," said Rench about the defense theory during the two-week trial before visiting Schenectady County Judge Michael Coccoma.

Atwell's legal troubles began on Oct. 22 when a woman in his Mont Pleasant neighborhood accused him of flashing a knife in her 10-year-old son's face, his attorney said. Rench said she enlisted a man who chased Atwell for several blocks with a 31-inch steel pipe, that he then swung at Atwell in the alley.

Atwell's dreadlocks absorbed one of the blows and the second one connected with the brim of his baseball cap, Rench said. Atwell then pulled out his knife and stabbed the man in the mouth and sliced him in the head before running away. He called police, who later charged him with several felonies, Rench added.

At trial, Atwell, a diagnosed schizophrenic, took the stand and told the jury about the confrontation and how he feared for his life.

District Attorney Robert Carney said Wednesday the conflicting testimony about whether the stabbing victim was armed with the steel pipe was problematic for the prosecution.

Still, Carney said the prosecution had argued at trial that "there was no justification to use a knife to stab and slash a victim under those circumstances."